Outdoor cooking and barbecuing have become significant activities, but traditional barbecue grills have remained unchanged for quite a while. However, grills with vertical hearths have been known in the art for some time. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,472 to Einto, 3,783,855 to Newinger, 3,611,912 to Choc, 3,550,525 to Rabello, 3,175,549 to Bergsten, as well as that art mentioned in commonly-owned related U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,174 to Andress. It is believed that vertical grills have not been significantly utilized because prior models lacked convenience, practicality and efficiency.
For example, the vertical grill disclosed by commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,174 advantageously provided a vertical hearth that extended below a main cooking grill whereby convective and radiant heat from a heat source covered a relatively larger cooking area. Coupled with sidewalls, this grill design increased the amount of main grilling surface that was usable for grilling, roasting or baking. Also, prior vertical grills neither provided multiple cooking temperatures at plural cooking levels nor did they provide kettle rack in combination with other grilling surfaces. In addition, prior grills did not provide deployable or extendable grate or grill members that facilitated portability and stowing. Rotisserie rods were used in the past, but not in combination with multiple multi-temperature grilling surfaces. Also lacking in prior models was a removable firebox that accommodated these features. The present invention, however, overcomes many of these as well as other drawbacks and disadvantages.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a rapidly deployable, portable and/or stationary barbecue grill having a removable firebox that co-acts with a cooking chamber to provide multi-temperature cooking.
It is another objective of the present invention to allow such rapid deployment by providing collapsible barbecue grill components, such as folding legs and fold-out side walls, and at least one deployable cooking grid pivotally attached to a firebox.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a firebox construction that supports at least one deployable and retractable heating grate and/or cooking grill.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a firebox-barbecue grill combination where the two, when deployed, act together to create multiple heating surfaces at multiple cooking temperatures to permit simultaneous cooking of varied food items.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a firebox-barbecue grill housing combination wherein, upon deployment, airflow is provided at the rear and/or lower portions of the firebox thereby minimizing cooler air draft within or about the cooking chamber.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide radiant-reflective surfaces in and/or about the firebox receptacle thereby confining and directing heat to a main cooking chamber of the barbecue grill.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill that supports rotisserie rod, including manual, mechanical or electro-mechanical drive means for the rotisserie rod.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a firebox-barbecue grill housing construction that permits efficient cooling of housing parts.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill with a large amount of grilling surface without substantially increasing the overall weight of the barbecue grill.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide sufficient heat beneath a main cooking grill thereby increasing the available cooking area of the main cooking grill.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a fixed, deployed barbecue grill having the above-specified objectives, wherein various components thereof (legs, grates, firebox, grills, sidewalls, etc.) may be secured or fastened in a fixed position rather than being retracted.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill construction that is conveniently manufactured, either using sheet metal or aluminum casted housing parts.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a durable anti-warping firebox construction that resists warping when heated.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a firebox-grill housing combination that facilitates cooling and heat shielding of grill housing parts during fuel oxidation by providing insulation within and/or upon said grill housing and/or providing cooling baffles upon said firebox and/or grill housing.
In accordance with the invention, a firebox having at least one deployable cooking grill provides heat to a cooking area generally defined by a base cavity and extended side walls of the barbecue grill is provided with a fixed or collapsible barbecue grill. The firebox generally comprises a vertically disposed enclosure having an open top, a bottom confine, opposed front and rear confines, and opposed side confines for restricting a source of fuel within boundaries. The front confine, which may comprise a grate, wire mesh, or expanded metal, permits radiation of heat from a fuel source, e.g., charcoal briquettes, wood chips, lava rocks. The firebox also includes supports for supporting a mid-level cooking grill in a substantially horizontal position between the top and bottom of said firebox. In a refinement of the invention, the firebox includes a pivoting mid-level cooking grill for high-temperature cooking and a deployable kettle rack directly over the burning fuel for heating a pot or kettle.
In another aspect of the invention, the firebox, with or without a deployable grate or grill, forms the vertical hearth of a barbecue grill and is storable in the base cavity when not in use. When fully deployed, however, the firebox stands upright in spaced relation to a rear housing wall or lid thereby facilitating cooling of (or reducing heat transfer to) the outer grill housing.
These and other multiple objectives, advantages, and aspects of the invention will become more readily apparent in view of the description of illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The invention, though, is pointed out with particularity by the appended claims.